Report on first anniversary of Boko Haram kidnapping in Chibok
reveals number of children affected in troubled north-east region has
doubled in less than a year
In a report marking the first anniversary of the Islamist group’s abduction of 276 schoolgirls from the Nigerian town of Chibok, Unicef says the number of children running for their lives in the country or crossing into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon has doubled in just under 12 months.
Despite steadily escalating its attacks in recent years, Boko Haram – whose name means “western education is forbidden” – achieved worldwide notoriety last April when it abducted the girls from their school in Borno state.
The girls, aged between 12 and 17, were snatched from their dormitories and loaded on to trucks. Although some managed to escape, others were paraded in a propaganda video, in which it was claimed they would be freed in return for the release of Boko Haram militants held by the Nigerian authorities.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s delay in reacting to the mass abduction – and his government’s failure to rescue them – is thought to have contributed to his defeat at the hands of Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s recent election.
In a statement released on Tuesday Buhari said: “When my new administration takes office at the end of May we will do everything we can to defeat Boko Haram. We will act differently from the government we replace: we hear the anguish of our citizens and intend to respond accordingly.
“What I can pledge, with absolute certainty, is that starting on the first day of my Administration Boko Haram will know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas.”
Manuel Fontaine, Unicef’s regional director for west and central Africa, says the Chibok kidnapping was one of a series of “endless tragedies being replicated on an epic scale” across the region.
“Scores of girls and boys have gone missing in Nigeria – abducted, recruited by armed groups, attacked, used as weapons or forced to flee violence,” he says.
The report, Missing Childhoods, says at least 15,000 people have been killed since 2009, when Boko Haram stepped up its violent campaign. Last year, 7,300 were killed, while more than 1,000 civilians have died since the beginning of 2015.
Unicef says children have become frequent and deliberate targets for murder, sexual abuse, kidnappings or forced marriage.
“Countless numbers of children, women and men have been abducted, abused and forcibly recruited, and women and girls have been targeted for particularly horrific abuse, including sexual enslavement,” the report says.
“Schools have been attacked. The conflict is exacting a heavy toll on children, affecting not just their wellbeing and their safety but also their access to basic health, education and social services.”
Not only are children as young as four being used by Boko Haram as cooks, porters and lookouts, the report says, but young people are reportedly being recruited by the vigilante groups fighting the Islamist insurgents in north-east Nigeria. Amnesty International estimates that at least 2,000 women and girls have been abducted by Boko Haram since the beginning of last year, many of them forced into sexual slavery and trained to fight.
Its secretary general, Salil Shetty, said the “scale and depravity” of the group’s methods had been laid bare in a new Amnesty report based on nearly 200 witness accounts. “Men and women, boys and girls, Christians and Muslims, have been killed, abducted and brutalised by Boko Haram during a reign of terror which has affected millions,” she said.
“Recent military successes might spell the beginning of the end for Boko Haram, but there is a huge amount to be done to protect civilians, resolve the humanitarian crisis and begin the healing process.”
It says it has so far received only 15% of the $26.5m needed for its humanitarian operations in Nigeria this year; 17% of its $40.2m appeal for Cameroon; 2% of its $42.5m appeal for Niger and 1% of its $63.1m appeal for Chad.
“Insecurity and lack of funding are constraining Unicef’s ability to reach affected children,” the report concludes. “Unicef appeals to parties to the conflict to allow humanitarian access. Unicef also urges the international community to increase its support to aid agencies working to alleviate the suffering of civilian populations.”
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/apr/13/children-nigeria-conflict-unicef-boko-haram
No comments:
Post a Comment